Why Food Carts Are Asked for Certificates of Insurance

Food carts are routinely asked for a certificate of insurance, either by the landlord of the site they work from or by the venue where they are serving. The request rarely stops at the certificate: most also want to be added as additional insured on the policy.

Why landlords want to be added

An additional insured endorsement extends parts of your policy to the landlord for claims arising out of your operations while you are on their premises. From their side it means a claim caused by your negligence has somewhere to go that is not their own policy.

This is common enough to be the default rather than the exception. Ask for the contract and read the insurance clause before you buy, so the policy you purchase actually meets what you have signed.

Limits that get requested

The requests we see most often are $1,000,000 per occurrence with either a $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 aggregate. If a venue wants more than your policy provides, excess or umbrella cover can sit on top of the underlying policy.

Read the clause, then buy

The order matters. Vendors who buy first and read the contract afterwards frequently end up amending a policy or buying a second one. Getting the venue's exact legal name, its address, the required limits and the additional insured wording before you request a quote turns the whole thing into a single step.